David de Gea's Fiorentina Debut: A Nightmare Start & 3-3 Draw with Puskas Akademia

DAVID DE GEA’s hotly anticipated return to football began with a NIGHTMARE.

The former Manchester United goalkeeper was named in Serie A side Fiorentina’s starting XI for the first time on Thursday after sealing a free transfer at the start of August.

Having last conceded to Ilkay Gundogan in a 2-1 FA Cup defeat in May 2023 - 446 days ago - De Gea surrendered two early goals in the Europa Conference League play-offs.

Against a team most football fans will never have heard of - Puskas Academy, from Hungary.

Albeit the first goal was an ninth minute penalty.

But the former United stopper then swallowed another one in the 12th minute to put his side 2-0 down.

Fans couldn't help themselves but poke fun at poor De Gea after watching his horror start.

One wrote: “De Gea never changed, 11 minutes bro has already shallowed 2 goals.”

Another posted a screenshot of the scoreline, writing: “Oh boy my favourite goalie David De Gea finally got himself signed by a club! let’s check in on how he’s doing on his debut against hungarian plumbers…”

A third added: “Some things just never change.”

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However, other United fans were kinder, admitting it feels strange seeing De Gea in a different shirt.

One wrote: “Seeing De Gea wear another club’s jersey feels so weird not gonna lie.”

A second slammed: “How are so called fans slandering De Gea for conceding goals The guys a legend of our club get a grip.”

Puskas Academy were only founded in 2005 and finished third in the Hungarian top division last season.

And, fortunately for De Gea, his new team-mates managed to turn things around.

Riccardo Sottil pulled one back for the home side before half-time.

Lucas Martinez Quarta and Moise Kean then put Fiorentina ahead in the second half.

However, the Hungarians stunned the Artemio Franchi stadium at the death as Wojciech Golla netted to level the thrilling tie 3-3.

De Gea, 34, signed a one-year contract including the option of a further 12 months with Fiorentina.

And boss Raffaele Palladino admitted the Spaniard needed time to get back in the swing of things after so long out.

The Fiorentina coach said: “He needed to adapt after a year of working separately.

“He has brought great professionalism and worked a lot.”

The goalkeeper left United when his contract expired at the end of the 2022/23 season, bringing to an end a 12-year stay at Old Trafford.

He joined United from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and during this 12-year tenure at the club made 545 appearances.

Seeing De Gea wear another club’s jersey feels so weird not gonna lie.

During his time at the club, he broke Peter Schmeichel’s all-time United record for clean sheets and became the highest appearance-maker for a goalkeeper.

The Spaniard won five major trophies during his time in Manchester including the Premier League title in 2013, the FA Cup in 2016 and the Europa League in 2017.

De Gea amassed several individual honours, including the Premier League Golden Glove in both the 2017-18 and 2022-23 seasons.

Additionally, he was recognised as Manchester United’s Player of the Year for three straight seasons from 2013 to 2016.

Fiorentina finished eighth in Serie A last term and reached the Europa Conference League final for the second year running but were beaten by Olympiacos.

They fell to West Ham in the 2022/23 season after Prem star Jarrod Bowen scored a 90th minute winner to seal a first European trophy since 1965 for the Hammers.

NOTHING stays the same forever.

And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.

Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.

Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.

There’s also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the ‘multiball’ system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides - but not straight away.

Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25.

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22.08.2024 10:34 source: StadiumDB.com; author: Paulina Skóra

Stadio Franchi is getting ready for Fiorentina’s first home match of the 2024/25 season, where on Thursday, August 22, Puskás Akadémia will visit for the Conference League playoffs. The stadium is currently under construction and must be adapted to safely host the games.

The functional testing of electrical and fire safety systems is nearing completion, and the inspection of structures separating the construction site from the audience is also underway. A tarp will be installed behind the Curva Fiesole goal to cover the construction work. Additionally, extra restrooms for fans are being built on the Maratona stand. Debris and all types of trash are being cleared out. According to Italian media reports, around 8,000 fans are expected to attend Thursday’s match.

President Rocco Commisso is expected to arrive in Florence at the end of the summer. After his arrival, city authorities and the club will sit down to outline future scenarios. It remains uncertain whether Viola will want to play in Padovani next season, and if so, whether Commisso would be willing to invest €5 million needed to adapt the venue to Serie A standards. Otherwise, Viola’s home will remain at Franchi, but the work will be completed in 2028, not 2026, as originally planned.

Everyone is also awaiting decisions regarding the participation of visiting fans during the current season. On Thursday, 50 Hungarian fans will be present at the stadium, which should not pose a problem for public order. For the matches against Venezia and Monza, Fiorentina has requested a waiver from hosting the full quota of visiting fans and will only admit 250 supporters. For European cup matches, UEFA regulations require 5% of the seating capacity to be reserved for visiting fans.

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